Why social media profits from anger

This week, we’re sharing a conversation originally recorded for Preston Sprinkle’s podcast, Theology in the Raw. It’s a wide-ranging, thoughtful dialogue that digs into political theology, Christian nationalism, just war theory, technology, and the deeper question underneath it all:

What kind of people are we becoming?

Lee joins Preston for an honest and at times searching conversation about the pressures facing the church in our current political and technological moment.

Key Themes:

Christian Nationalism — Then and Now

• Why Christian nationalism is not just a “right-wing” problem

• The surprising history of progressive Christian nationalism (Woodrow Wilson and World War I)

• How allegiance to a nation can distort allegiance to Christ

• The church’s temptation to baptize political power

Recovering Forgotten Christian Traditions

• The pacifist roots of the Stone-Campbell movement

• How World War I reshaped American Christianity

• Why most Christians have never actually been taught the Just War tradition

• The difference between claiming Just War and being morally formed by it

Violence, War, and Christian Witness

• Why the Just War tradition is far more rigorous than most assume

• The danger of defaulting to state power without serious moral discernment

• What it might mean to “bear witness to the way of Christ” in a violent world

• Why the church’s formation matters more than hypothetical “what would you do?” scenarios

Social Media, Anger, and the Business Model of Outrage

• How the ad-revenue model rewards anger

• Why social platforms amplify division by design

• The spiritual consequences of living online

• Why disengaging can sometimes be an act of wisdom

Technology, AI, and Moral Formation

• Drawing on Jacques Ellul’s concept of “technique”

• Why the real question isn’t whether technology is a tool

• The deeper question: What kind of character is being formed in us?

• Why Christians need to think more seriously about AI and moral responsibility

A Life Without a Cell Phone

• Why Lee hasn’t owned a cell phone in eight years

• The “serenity tax” of opting out

• Anxiety, distraction, and what it means to be present

• The difference between using technology and being shaped by it

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices